Laura Kurella is an award-winning, self-syndicated food columnist, an award-winning Food Stylist, and the author of two cookbooks: Fabulous Desserts and Fabulous Tiny Bites and beverage. Her column, Vitality Cuisine, appears each Tuesday in the
...

Laura Kurella is an award-winning, self-syndicated food columnist, an award-winning Food Stylist, and the author of two cookbooks: Fabulous Desserts and Fabulous Tiny Bites and beverage. Her column, Vitality Cuisine, appears each Tuesday in the Sturgis Journal, and her Radio Recipe show can be heard Tuesday mornings at 7:15 am at WBETFM.com Questions or comments? Contact Laura at Laurakurella@yahoo.com.

QUIP: Over the years, I have been blessed with some VERY old tablecloths. Some date well back into the 40’s and older and, they have really cute, retro patterns that help date them even more.I have this one that has gorgeous, crimson red and navy blue artwork splashed akk across it’s white cotton cloth, making it quite stunning on a dinner table. The pattern is so bold, in fact, that I failed to notice that red wine had spilled on it during a dinner party - a grim fact that was not brought to my attention until I pulled it out of the dryer and noticed that it was now spattered with purple-blue blotches, the mere sight of which took my breath away.
“If only I would have seen the wine spots BEFORE I laundered it,” I said under my breath.
TIP: It goes without saying; I should have carefully examined the cloth before washing it. However, since I did not, I had to resort to finding my dear, departed friend, Kathi’s list. She was expert at removing red wine stains and her list advised in situations like this to drench the spots in Greased Lightning – a de-greaser found at dollar stores. She recommended letting it set for a bit and then washing as usual. If spot was still there, repeat until gone.
I recently heard that white wine will remove a red wine stain –haven’t tried it though – and, mixing Dawn dishwashing liquid soap with hydrogen peroxide then placing it on the spill will lift it right out.
Kathi also had some great tricks for what to do right when the spills occur. She said you can cover the spill with either generous amounts of an artificial sweetener or salt. Let it sit for several minutes to absorb the wine then, using a table knife, gently scrape the sugar substitute or salt onto a piece of paper and discard. I have also learned that you can sprinkle a powder, like talcum or cornstarch on the fresh wine spill. When the powder dries use a soft brush to brush the powder away - and hopefully the stain with it! Club soda is an old trick, which requires blotting the spill gently to remove any color, which may take some time before all traces of the stain are gone.I had some Greased Lightning and I am VERY happy to report...It got the set stains out in one single application!